NASA astronaut Don Pettit is set to return to Earth on April 19, 2025, marking his 70th birthday after completing a 220-day mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). This mission brings his total time in space to 590 days over four missions, making him NASA's oldest active astronaut.

Pettit, along with Russian cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner, will depart the ISS aboard the Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft. The capsule is scheduled to undock at 5:57 p.m. EDT and land in Kazakhstan at 9:20 p.m. EDT (6:20 a.m. IST on April 20). 

During this mission, Pettit orbited Earth 3,520 times, traveling approximately 93.3 million miles. He shared stunning images and videos of Earth from space, including formations of Starlink satellites, auroras between Australia and Antarctica, and rare lightning phenomena over the Amazon Basin. 

Pettit's contributions extend beyond his time in space. He is known for his innovations, such as the invention of the zero-gravity coffee cup, which received the first patent for an object invented in space. 

As Pettit returns to Earth, his journey serves as an inspiration, highlighting the possibilities of human space exploration at any age.